Sicilian Connection

Giorgio’s, the Italian restaurant at Royal Orchid Sheraton, has a new Sicilian buffet that is touted to be authentic as can be.

There’s no dearth of Italian restaurants in Bangkok, and in fact, there seems to be one or more in every major corner of the city, with each region of Italy easily represented in their signature menus. And yet, Italian restaurants keep on mushrooming around as if we Bangkokians can never get enough of it. Truth is we really can’t. We are among the most voracious Italian food eaters this side of earth – and obviously many restaurant operators know this.

And that is why more and more Italian eateries are popping up, and those existing ones are filling up their buffet spreads with more and more Italian favorites.

The latest to succumb to our wishes is Giorgio’s, the Italian restaurant of Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel & Towers. This restaurant, not only one of the most established Italian restaurants but also the first Italian hotel restaurant in Bangkok, has just launched a Sicilian dinner buffet to satisfy our cravings.

This is significant for various reasons, the foremost of which is that we seldom find a dedicated Sicilian spread in the City of Angels. Giorgio’s Sicilian dinner buffet offers authentic antipasto buffet of seafood, cold cuts and salads, coupled with a main course of your favorite pasta and grills, and capped with delightful Italian desserts – for what is probably the best value-for-money Italian buffet in Bangkok. Hey, it’s just Bt650 net per person, and you can eat all you want from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Now is this price enough for us to go to this hotel on the edge of Chao Phraya River to enjoy an Italian meal when we can easily drop by just about anywhere closer to where we stay? You bet. In fact, price is not even an issue here since Giorgo’s offers an overall package: ambience, service, and quality of food.

Compared to some new, very chic Italian restaurants, Giorgio’s may seem a bit lackluster — a matter of opinion, actually — but in fact, it has a character that enhances enjoyment of a meal. Its tasteful dark woods, playful bright murals, and glassware and unique lamp displays complement each other perfectly, making Giorgio’s one delightful restaurant. Its peaceful ambiance should work well for romantic dinners, as we tried once.

For this buffet special, and the new menu, credit goes to Gaetano Palumbo, the 39-year-old executive sous chef, who hails from Sicily. A Bangkok resident since 2008, Gaetano says cooking in Sicily is central to family life. “Italians are passionate about good food and high quality produce. Living there, learning to cook is as important as enjoying the pleasures of eating fine food. Growing up surrounded by good food, the desire to cook was strong for me. It was a very natural process.”

We say: put Chef Gaetano’s cooking to the test by visiting this Italian restaurant at Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel & Towers, if you still haven’t. Chances are, you’ll like it too.